C1.V*4   Bk.TCV*^ 

 E- 


TRINITY  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 


DURHAM,  N.  C. 
1903 

Gift  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Dred  Peacock 


HELP  OK  HINDER 


A  Tract  on  Missions. 


By  Rev.  James  Atkins,  D.  D., 

President  Asheville  Female  College. 


Issued  by  Direction  of  the  Board  of  Missions  of  th 
W.  N  C.  Conference,  M.  E.  Church,  South,  1896, 


Asheville  Printing  Company,  3  E.  Court  Square, 
Asheville,  N.  C. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/helporhindertrac71  atki 


HELP  OR  HINDER. 


The  Vision  at  Troas. 

A JEW  slept  at  Troas.  His  body  was  weary  with  the  travel 
of  the  day,  and  his  mind  was  burdened  with  thoughts 
of  the  great  work  which  had  been  given  him  to  do,  and  of  the 
strange  providence  which  had  led  him  thither.  In  the  still- 
ness and  solemnity  of  the  night  he  had  a  vision. 

There  stood  up  before  him  a  Greek  from  across  the  ^Egean 
vSea,  within  the  sound  of  which  the  Hebrew  was  sleeping. 
The  Greek  spoke  to  the  Jew  in  the  vision,  and  pleaded  with 
him  for  help— help  not  for  himself  alone,  but  for  his  people. 
The  Jew  was  St.  Paul,  who,  in  his  second  great  missionary 
tour,  had  come  by  the  fastnesses  of  the  Taurus  Mountains  into 
the  central  section  of  Asia  Minor.  Thence  he  had  desired  to 
go  into  Bithynia,  the  most  northerly  part  of  Asia,  that  he 
might  sow  the  seeds  of  the  gospel  upon  the  shores  of  the 
Euxine  Sea. 

But  this  was  not  God's  plan:  Asia  had  the  gospel,  Europe 
had  it  not ;  and  the  Spirit  led  the  apostle  to  Troas,  a  sea-port 
on  the  north-eastern  shore  of  the  .Egeau  Sea.  Just  across  that 
sea  was  Macedonia,  an  important  Greek  colony. 

While  Paul  rested  at  Troas,  God  revealed  to  him  the  direc- 
tion of  his  future  labors  in  this  vision,  of  which  St.  Luke, 
Paul's  companion,  says  :  "  There  stood  a  man  of  Macedonia 
and  prayed  him,  saying,  Come  over  into  Macedonia  and  help 
us."  This  was  a  sublime  scene.  Note  that  he  to  whom  this 
vision  came  was  a  Jew  from  Jerusalem,  the  religious  centre  of 
Syria.  He  was  of  a  people  illustrious  in  all  lands  by  a  thou- 
sand displays  of  God's  power  and  majesty,  running  back 
through  four  thousand  years,  and  reaching  into  the  very  cra- 
dle of  the  race.  He  was  from  the  land  hallowed  by  the 
earthly  life  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  still  rich  in  memories  of 
his  divine  doings  among  men.  He  was  now  the  apostle  of 
the  only  religion  that  embraced  the  entire  race  in  its  love. 


4  Help  or  Hinder. 

He  was  a  Jew,  but  his  Jewish  consciousness  had  been  changed 
by  a  divine  re-creation,  and  now,  like  the  love  of  God,  it  took 
into  its  grasp  every  sinning,  suffering  member  of  the  race. 

The  other  man  was  a  gentile  from  Europe;  a  Greek  from 
Macedonia,  the  land  of  Philip  and  his  warlike  son,  who  had 
thrown  the  prowess  and  prestige  of  Greek  arms  and  authority 
over  all  Asia,  and  had  made  a  handful  of  European  mountain- 
eers the  masters  of  the  world.  He  was  of  a  civilization  the 
finest  in  a  natural  order  the  world  has  ever  seen.  His  reli- 
gion was  cohi  and  heartless.  It  taught  men  to  see  more  of 
God  in  the  splendors  of  a  Grecian  sunset  than  in  the  face  of  a 
suffering  fellow-man.  It  was  also  hopeless.  Upon  the  tem- 
ples of  his  god,  above  their  glitter  and  magnificence,  as  well 
as  in  the  soul  of  the  worshiper,  was  written,  "  The  world  by 
wisdom  knew  not  God."  The  handwriting  was  there.  It 
only  needed  a  Paul  to  interpret  it  and  make  it  articulate  in 
speech. 

This,  then,  is  the  scene  :  On  the  one  side  Paul,  the  Jew, 
the  representative  apostle  to  the  Gentiles  of  that  religion 
which  had  burst  its  Jewish  gates  and  was  flowing  in  streams 
of  salvation  to  all  the  race.  On  the  other  side  the  Macedo- 
nian, the  representative  Gentile,  the  man  typical  of  humanity, 
through  whom  humanity,  sinning,  suffering,  perishing,  calls 
upon  the  representatives  of  Christianity  for  help  through  the 
divine  and  saving  power  of  the  gospel.  The  Gentile  begs 
help  of  the  Jew;  the  Greek  seeks  wisdom  at  the  feet  of  the 
Barbarian.  Upon  this  vision  of  St.  Paul's  forty  centuries  of 
Jewish  history,  replete  with  type,  symbol,  and  prophecy 
pointing  to  this  very  hour  and  event,  looked  down  with  awful 
significance.  Paul  arose  from  the  vision  and  went  forth, 
assuredly  gathering  that  God  had  called  him  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  the  Greeks  also.  So  we  gather  from  this  vision,  and 
from  that  which  called  Peter  to  the  Gentile  household  of  Cor- 
nelius; from  the  parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan,  rich  in  the 
prophecy  of  a  universal  brotherhood;  from  the  great  commis- 
sion, "Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature;"  from  the  fact  that  God  would  not  allow  the 
infant  Ceurch  to  remain  in  its  Judaic  home,  but  forced  it,  by 
persecution,  to  go  into  the  regions  beyond;  from  the  scrip- 
tural doctrines  of  the  fatherhood  of  God  and  brotherhood  of 
man;  from  all  these,  and  especially  from  an  inward  conviction 


HEtP  OR  HlNftER.  5 

wrought  in  us  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  do  we  assuredly  gather  that 
it  is  God's  purpose  that  all  men  shall  have  the  gospel,  and 
that  they  shall  have  it  at  the  hands  of  us  unto  whom  are  com- 
mitted the  oracles  of  God.  Even  now  the  Macedonian  call 
from  every  quarter  of  the  globe  is  coming — coming  from  one 
direction  in  the  form  of  active,  stirring  appeals  for  the  gospel, 
and  from  another  issuing  in  the  silent  eloquence  of  universal 
ruin  and  decay. 

Sympathy  with  Christ  the  Life  of  Hissions. 

There  never  was  a  time  in  the  progress  of  Christianity 
when  any  man  was  at  liberty  to  disregard  the  call  of  Christian 
missions.  Especially  is  this  the  case  now,  when  there  is  such 
a  universal  diffusion  of  scriptual  knowledge.  When  once  the 
claim  has  been  soundly  set  forth,  every  believer  who  rejects 
it  does  so  at  the  hazard  of  his  soul.  Christ  spared  no  labor, 
no  agony,  in  his  work  of  saving  men,  and  he  has  called  every 
believer  into  the  fellowship  of  his  work  and  suffering.  "If 
any  man  have  not  the  spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  his." 
Cold  indifference  toward  the  souls  for  whom  Christ  died  is 
humanity's  highest  insult  of  the  blood  which  bought  us.  On 
the  other  hand,  nothing  so  lifts  and  expands  the  horizon  of 
our  Christian  consciousness  as  a  deep  and  helpful  sympathy 
with  Christ  in  his  efforts  to  save  the  world.  No  man  who  has 
not  taken  a  careful  and  devout  survey  of  the  awful  fact  that 
the  millions  of  the  earth  are  perishing  in  their  sins  can  have 
a  just  conception  of  the  meaning  of  Christ's  death,  nor  can  he 
realize  how  blest  he  himself  is  by  the  gift  of  spiritual  life  and 
the  blessings  which  follow  in  its  train.  This  view  of  human- 
ity's dying — dying  not  because  there  is  no  Christ  for  it,  but 
because  no  gospel  has  been  sent  it — makes  for  devout  men  a 
Gethsemane,  where  ever  and  anon  they  fall  prostrate  and 
agonize  with  their  agonizing  Lord.  God  pity  the  Christian 
man  who  has  never  had  sympathy  enough  with  his  Saviour 
to  taste  something  of  the  bitterness  of  the  garden  !  He  who 
does  not  care  for  the  perishing  of  men  does  not  care  for  the 
dying  of  Christ.    Sympathy  with  Christ  is  the  life  of  missions. 

The  Relation  of  the  Church  to  the  nission  of  Saving  Han. 

God  has  clearly  revealed  his  purpose  to  save  the  world 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the  Church.  He  has  ordained 
no  other  means;  he  will  use  no  other.    St.  Paul,  in  speaking 


6 


Hei»p  or  Hinder. 


of  Gentile  salvation  by  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  through 
the  Church,  says:  "  Which  in  other  ages  was  not  made  known 
to  the  sons  of  men,  as  it  is  now  revealed  unto  his  holy  apos- 
tles and  prophets  by  the  spirit ;  that  the  Gentiles  should  be 
fe" low-heirs,  and  of  the  same  body,  and  partakers  of  his  prom- 
ise in  Christ  by  the  gospel  :  whereof  I  was  made  a  minister, 
according  to  the  grace  of  God  given  unto  me  by  the  effectual 
working  of  his  power.  Unto  me,  who  am  less  than  the  least 
of  all  saints,  is  this  grace  given,  that  I  should  preach  among 
the  Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ ;  and  to  make 
all  men  see  what  is  the  fellowship  of  the  mystery,  which  from 
the  beginning  of  the  world  hath  been  hid  in  God,  who  created 
all  things  by  Jesus  Christ :  to  the  intent  that  now  unto  the 
principalities  and  powers  in  heavenly  places  might  be  made 
known  by  the  Church  the  manifold  wisdom  of  God,  according 
to  the  eternal  purpose  which  he  purposed  in  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord.'"  This  passage  makes  it  clear  that  it  is  God's  purpose 
to  reveal  his  saving  wisdom,  not  only  to  men,  but  also  to 
angels,  by  the  Church.  Such  is  the  work,  and  such  the 
responsibility  of  the  Church.  But  while  God  requires  the 
salvation  of  the  race  at  the  hands  of  the  Church,  as  of  an 
instrument,  he  does  not  require  it  to  furnish  either  the  wisdom 
or  the  power  requisite  for  the  achievement  of  this  vast  result. 
God  furnishes  the  power  and  the  wisdom.  "Christ,  the  power 
of  God,  and  the  wisdom  of  God,"  is  Head  over  all  things  to 
the  Church.  He  who  said,  "All  power  is  given  unto  me  in 
heaven  and  in  earth,"  said  also,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  That  same  power  which 
thundered  with  an  earthquake  at  the  heels  of  the  departing 
disciples,  as  they  went  forth  to  preach  the  everlasting  gospel, 
will  upturn  the  deep  foundations  of  the  kingdom  of  darkness, 
and  through  the  Church,  will  press  the  conquest  of  the  cross 
to  the  very  gates  of  hell  !  The  Holy  Spirit  also  is  resident  in 
the  Church  for  its  comfort  and  guidance.  The  Church,  while 
submitting  itself  implicitly  to  His  guidance,  will  never  make 
a  mistake  or  waste  itself  in  unavailing  effort.  While  all  this 
is  true,  it  is  equally  true  that  the  Church  sustains  a  relation 
to  the  work  so  intimate  and  essential  that  the  work  will  not 
be  done  without  it.  The  part  which  the  Church  is  to  perform 
is  co-operating  with  God  in  this  glorious  work  may  be  set 
forth  in  four  items  : 


try 


Hei.p  or  Hinder.  7 
Item  I.    The  Widow's  Hites. 

The  touching  incident  of  the  widow's  giving  the  two  mites 
teaches  the  Church  two  important  lessons.  ( i )  That  God 
may  impart  a  large  valne  to  a  gift,  however  small  the  amount 
of  it,  if  it  but  be  according  to  the  ability  of  the  giver.  (2) 
That  when  our  gifts  are  according  to  our  ability,  their  valne 
in  God's  hands  is  determined  by  the  purpose  and  devotion  of 
the  giver.  Hence  the  infallible  Judge  of  all  values  said,  "  She 
hath  cast  in  more  than  they  all."  We  sometimes  hear  a  man, 
who  of  his  abundance  has  cast  a  contemptible  pittance  into 
the  treasury  of  the  Lord,  apologi/.e  for  his  niggardliness  by 
calling  his  dole  the  "  widow's  mites."  Such  a  man  is  either 
an  ignoramus,  a  knave,  or  a  jester  ;  slandering  a  pious  widow 
— slandering  an  act  so  perfect  in  its  order  that  the  act  and 
the  mites  outweighed  all  the  golden  gifts  of  the  rich.  We 
conclude  that  all  God  requires  of  the  Church  in  giving  is  that 
it  give  the  "  widow's  mites;"  that  is,  that  it  give  according  to 
its  ability,  and  with  the  pure  purpose  of  glorifying  God,  and 
that  it  be  done  willingly.  "  For  if  there  be  a  willing  mind,  it 
is  accepted  according  to  that  a  man  hath,  and  not  according 
to  that  he  hath  not." 

Item  II.    The  Loaves  and  Fishes. 

The  great  multitude  of  more  than  five  thousand  people 
was  in  a  wilderness  place,  and  a-hnngered.  Christ  had  com- 
passion on  them,  and  commanded  the  disciples  to  feed  them. 
The  disciples  answered  :  "  We  have  here  but  five  loaves  and 
two  fishes."  Christ  said,  "Bring  them  hither  to  me."  He 
blessed  the  bread  and  broke  it,  and  gave  it  to  his  disciples, 
who  dispensed  to  the  multitude.  The}'  all  ate  and  were 
filled,  and  more  was  left  than  they  first  had.  The  lesson  of 
this  miracle  is,  that  when  the  Church  furnishes  such  means 
as  it  can  command,  the  compassion  of  Christ,  operating 
through  his  power,  will  multiply  the  provision  and  make  it 
measure  up  to  the  utmost  wants  of  the  race.  Give,  therefore, 
according  to  the  gospel  rule,  and  do  not  withhold  anything 
because  it  is  small.  The  multiplying  power  is  in  God,  and  he 
has  engaged  to  supply,  by  your  agency,  the  bread  of  life  to 
the  famishing  millions  of  men.  How  much  of  spiritual  results 
will  flow  from  the  bestowment  of  so  much  money  is  not  a 
question  for  the  Church  to  ask.    That  is  a  matter  of  the  divine 


8 


HEivP  or  Hinder. 


concern.  This  we  know,  that  when  the  Church  has  done  its 
duty,  God  will  fulfill  his  promise  to  give  the  heathen  to  Christ 
for  an  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  a 
possession.  Hoary  systems  of  superstition  and  religion,  how- 
ever entempled  and  enshrined  ;  wicked  spirits  in  high  places; 
the  infidelity  of  men  and  the  sullen  hatred  of  devils  combined, 
cannot  resist  the  strokes  of  almighty  love  when  it  shall  have 
uutrammeled  play  through  the  Church  of  Christ.  What  an 
exhibition  that  would  have  been  had  the  disciples  said,  "Five 
loaves  and  two  fishes  are  but  enough  for  thy  disciples,"  and 
had  left  the  multitude  to  go  away  hungering  and  fainting  in 
the  twilight  of  that  day  of  the  divine  teaching  !  Let  every 
member  of  the  church  note  :  The  Church  that  does  not  fur- 
nish the  "  loaves  and  fishes,"  (i)  misses  the  strengthening  of 
its  own  faith  by  witnessing  the  wonderful  power  of  the  Lord 
in  multiplying  these  elements  ;  (2)  it  leaves  the  multitudes 
hungry  for  bread  which  the  Lord  would  supply  them  by  the 
consent  and  help  of  the  Church  ;  (3)  it  takes  from  the  Lord 
the  glorv  of  illustrating  in  the  eyes  of  men  his  mercy  and  his 
power.  It  robs  itself.  It  robs  the  multitudes.  It  robs  Christ. 
Item  III.    The  Alabaster  Box. 

When  the  Savior  reclined  at  the  supper  of  Simon,  Mary 
came  in,  and  from  an  alabaster  box,  poured  forth  three  hund. 
red  pence  worth  of  precious  ointment  upon  his  head.  The 
disciples,  prominently  Judas,  complained  of  the  waste,  and 
said  that  the  ointment  ought  to  have  been  sold  and  the  pro- 
ceeds given  to  the  poor.  But  the  Savior  said:  "Let  her 
alone  ;  why  trouble  ye  her  ?    she  hath  done  what  she  could." 

Any  manifestation  of  love  for  Christ,  whether  it  be  little  as 
two  mites  or  much  as  three  hundred  pence  is  acceptable  to 
him,  and  remains  as  a  memorial. 

The  Church  has  been  slow  to  realize  that,  in  relation  to 
the  missionary  cause,  it  held  in  its  possession  an  alabaster  box 
of  precious  ointment,  which  it  might  pour  upon  the  Savior's 
head.  This  gift  is  Christian  womanhood,  the  crowning  glory 
of  our  Christian  civilization.  It  is  a  pure  product  of  the  gos- 
pel, and  is,  therefore,  in  a  peculiar  sense  due  to  Christ.  It 
has  in  it  a  strange  subtlety  and  supremacy  of  power  which  the 
military  wisdom  of  the  Church  cannot  fail  to  use  for  Christ. 
It  is  a  hopeful  sign  that  the  Church,  without  compromising 
its  important  doctrine  that  woman's  peculiar  sphere  is  in  the 


Hi<:u'  or  Hinder.  9 

home,  is  growing  willing  to  consecrate  a  share  of  her  time 
and  energy  to  the  work  of  evangelizing  the  world.  The  godly 
women  are,  by  the  consent  of  the  Church,  rallying  to  the  call 
of  the  Master,  and  are  doing  a  delicate  and  difficult  work 
which  men  cannot  do.  This  is  Mary  breaking  the  alabaster 
box,  and  pouring  the  ointment  on  the  Savior's  head.  Christ 
is  accepting  this  delicate  memorial  at  the  Church's  hands, 
and  will  honor  it  with  abundant  honor.  This  movement  is 
destined,  under  proper  direction,  to  deepen  and  widen  into 
stupendous  success  ;  and  it  will  leave  no  train  of  evil  in  our 
homes.  Happy  will  it  be  for  the  Church,  and  the  world  when 
to  every  Christian  wife,  mother,  daughter,  and  sister  may  be 
applied  the  words  of  Christ,  "She  hath  done  what  she  could." 

Item  IV.    Saul  and  Barnabas. 

Antioch,  in  Syria,  was  the  first  center  of  Christian  opera- 
tions among  the  Gentiles.  The  apostles  had  obeyed  the  coin- 
mission,  "  beginning  at  Jerusalem,"  and  the  circumference  of 
the  widening  circle  has  fallen  on  Antioch.  It  was  now  to 
become  itself  the  center  of  a  wider  influence.  Here  Barnabas 
was  conducting  a  gracious  revival,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  was 
shaking  the  foundations  of  Venus  and  Bacchus.  Barnabas 
sent  for  Saul.  Saul  came,  and  Antioch  was  captured  for 
Christ.  Then  the  Holy  Ghost  spoke  to  the  Church  and  said, 
"  Separate  me  Saul  and  Barnabas  for  the  work  whereunto  I 
have  called  them."  This  was  a  call  to  the  Church  to  send 
missionaries  ;  not  apostles  going  forth  on  their  own  responsi- 
bility, but  missionaries — sent,  sent  by  the  Church.  Judaism 
had  not  sent  forth  missionaries.  It  could  not.  Jerusalem 
was  in  the  way.  Centurial  habits  were  in  the  way.  Prejudi- 
cial maxims  and  enactments  were  in  the  way.  Christ  had 
said  to  a  few  chosen  men  in  Judea,  "Go,"  and  they  went 
without  the  backing  of  a  Church  at  home.  But  when  the 
normal  state  of  the  Church  in  relation  to  the  salvation  of  man 
— humanity— was  to  set  in,  Christ  spoke  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
the  Church,  and  said,  send.  He  called  it  to  send  forth  men 
of  its  own  bosom,  and  having  vital  connection  with  its  own 
living,  throbbing  heart.  He  called  it  to  be  a  co-worker  with 
himself  and  the  apostles,  and  gave  it  a  corresponding  respon- 
sibility. The  Church  measured  up  to  the  demand,  and  set 
apart  its  best  ministers  to  be  missionaries.    No  wonder  that 


[O 


Hei^p  or  Hinder. 


"at  Antioch  the  disciples   were   first   called  Christians!" 
Thence  they  set  out  to  win  the  world  to  Christ. 

By  way  of  answering  the  popular  objection  that  we  ought 
not  to  send  abroad  while  there  is  so  much  need  of  work  at 
home,  it  may  here  be  remarked  that  the  Church  at  Antioch 
might  have  answered  the  call  of  the  Holy  Ghost  by  saying  : 
"  Antioch  is  the  most  important  of  all  places — an  historic 
city,  great  in  municipal  extent.    Here  the  Greek  kings  had 
theii  center  for  Syria  in  the  days  when  that  past  civilization 
was  at  the  height  of  its  glory.    Here  the  Roman  kings  have 
their  representatives  in  the  persons  of  the  procurators.  This 
city  is  full  of  learning  and  refinement  and  culture.  Moreover, 
Daphne  is  hard  by,  and  here  sin  is  eutempled  and  glorified 
and  deified  amid  a  splendor  which  it  boasts  nowhere  else  on 
earth.    We  must  keep  our  strongest  men  at  home.    We  must 
fortify  the  center,  and  not  spend  our  strength  on  the  regions 
beyond  in  mere  experiment."    But  this  apostolic  Church  did 
not  answer  thus.    It  knew  by  a  holy   intuition   that  the 
strength  of  a  Church  does  not  depend  upon  the  learning,  elo- 
quence, or  upon  even  the  apostolic  perfection  of  its  ministry, 
but  upon  its  living  union  wfith  Christ,  the  Head.    It  knew 
that  safety  and  growth  at  home  were  in  the  direct  ratio  of 
aggressiveness  abroad.    Therefore,  at  the  call  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  the  Church  laid  its  hands  of  blessing,  sympathy,  sup- 
port, and  authority  upon  Saul  and  Barnabas,  and  sent  them 
forth.    In  view  of  these  things,  we  need  not  be  surprised  when 
historians  tell  us  that  this  Church  grew  until  it  numbered 
100,000  souls  in  its  communion.    Here,   then,  we  have  set 
forth  both  the  condition  and  work  of  the  Church.    It  was 
fasting  and  praying  when  the  Holy  Ghost  said,  "  Separate  me 
Saul  and  Barnabas."    Then  it  obeyed,  and  laid  its  hands  of 
sympathy,  authority,  and  support  upon  the  apostles,  and  sent 
them  forth.    A  Church  to  be  truly  missionary  must  be  of  this 
kind.    It  is  not  enough  that  a  Church  give  ;  it  must  fast  and 
pray,  and  send  forth  men  with  whom  it  shall,  maintain  a  living 
sympathy.    The  Church  to  which  we  belong  is  not  wanting  in 
good  men— men  "  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Some 
of  our  best  men  are  already  in  the  field,  and  hundreds  more 
await  the  command  of  the  Church.    They  would  even  now 
be  in  the  field  if  the  spirit  and  contributions  of  the  Church 
would  sustain  them  there. 


Hru»  ok  Hinder.  i  i 

We  have  endeavored,  by  these  four  items,  to  set  forth  the 
relation  of  Christian  men  to  the  work  of  missions.  We  have 
the  promise  of  God  for  this  assurance,  that  when  the  Church 
has  given  its  widow's  mites,  its  loaves  and  fishes,  and  its  ala- 
baster box,  and  has  crowned  and  glorified  its  gifts  by  the  con- 
ferment of  its  Saids  and  Barnab.ises,  God  will  astound  not 
only  men,  but  principalities  and  powers,  by  the  displays  of 
his  saving  might  among  the  heathen  who  are  now  without 
Christ,  and  therefore  without  hope  in  the  world. 

Do  flissions  Pay? 

This  question  has  been  often  asked,  and  always  has  in  it 
the  base,  metallic  ring  of  the  marts.  It  has  been  repeatedly 
proved  from  authentic  statistics  that  the  bestowment  of  mis- 
sionary money  pays  as  an  investment  by  commercial  returns 
to  the  nations  giving  it.  But  w  ith  the  "  investment  "  view 
of  the  subject  we  have  nothing  at  all  to  do.  We  ask  the  ques- 
tion in  its  pure  relation  to  the  death  of  Christ  and  the  salva- 
tion of  men.  Do  missions  pay  ?  We  answer  this  question  by 
asking  another.  What  is  a  soul,  worth  ?  Whose  soul  ? 
(i;  Your  own.  God  has  commanded  that  the  gospel  be 
preached  to  all  men.  He  holds  the  Church  responsible  for 
the  accomplishment  of  the  work.  He  does  not  hold  it  respon- 
sible as  a  body,  but  in  its  individual  membership.  He  holds 
you  responsible  according  to  the  share  of  ability  and  oppor- 
tunity he  has  given  you.  If  you  are  disobeying  this  com- 
mand, do  not  think  that  God  will  hold  you  guiltless.  If  you 
are  not  helping  to  spread  the  gospel,  you  are  doing  what  you 
can  to  disappoint  the  great  purpose  of  Christ  to  save  the 
heathen.  The  case  is  this:  The  heathen  is  suffering  and 
dying  through  ignorance  of  the  saving  power  of  Christ's  blood. 
You* can  send  him  this  knowledge  ;  you  are  urged  to  do  so. 
If  you  deliberately  refuse,  will  Christ  save  you  ?  You  know 
your  duty.  Do  it  faithfully  now,  that  in  the  last  great  day 
it  may  not  be  said  to  you.  "  Depart  ;  ye  knew  your  duty  and 
did  it  not."  (2)  What  is  the  soul  of  the  heathen  worth? 
Christ  thought  it  worth  dying  for.  The  heathan  is  just  such 
a  man  as  you  are,  your  religion  excepted.  He  was  made  by 
the  same  God,  and  redeemed  by  the  same  blood.  He  has  a 
similar  capability  of  enjoying  and  suffering,  hoping  and 
desparing,  of  being  saved  or  being  damned.  If  you  send  him 
the  gospel,  he  will  accept  it  and  be  saved.    God  has  made  no 


i2  Help  or  Hinder. 

mistake  in  the  adaptation  of  the  means  of  salvation  to  the 
end  of  saving.  Christ  is  the  Desire  of  nations.  Men,  moved 
by  their  conscious  need  of  him,  are  everywhere  feeling  after 
him  in  the  dark.  Throw  on  the  light  of  the  gospel,  that  they 
may  grasp  his  hand  and  be  lifted  to  heaven.  If  it  be  asked 
whether  missions  pay,  in  the  sense  of  making  an  encouraging 
return  to  the  Church  in  the  form  of  conversions  and  Christian 
lives,  the  answer  may  at  least  be  intimated  by  the  following 
facts  touching 

The  Progress  of  the  Work. 

The  present  missionary  movement  belongs  to  the  present 
century.  In  the  last  decade  of  the  last  century,  the  spirit  of 
aggressiveness  began  to  take  on  organization,  and  four  impor- 
tant societies  were  formed.  These  were  the  Baptist  Mission- 
ary Society,  the  London  Missionary  Society,  the  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society,  and  the  Tract  .Society.  From  the 
beginning  to  the  middle  of  this  century,  societies  too  numer- 
ous to  mention  sprung  into  being  and  entered  with  vigor  upon 
their  work.  It  has  now  come  to  pass  that  no  Church  worthy 
of  the  name  is  without  such  an  organization  within  its  bosom. 

There  were  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  seven 
missionary  societies;  there  are  now  more  than  eighty.  There 
were  in  the  field  about  seventy  missionaries;  there  are  now 
about  two  thousand  five  hundred  ordained  European  and 
American  missionaries,  and  over  seven  thousand  ordained 
native  preachers.  These  ire  assisted  by  many  lad}-  mission- 
aries and  native  helpers;  making  a  total  of  about  five  thousand 
eight  hundred,  and  nearly  fourteen  thousand  native  helpers. 
This  gives  a  grand  total  of  nineteen  thousand  five  hundred 
workers.  There  are  now  about  six  hundred  thousand 
communicants  in  the  Mission  Churches.  The  relative 
cost  of  missions  is,  of  course,  greater  at  the  beginning  than  at 
any  subsequent  time.  From  1849  to  1869,  the  average  expen- 
diture to  each  convert  in  the  Telugu  Mission  was  $460;  since 
that  time  it  has  been  but  $25.  This  has  been  properly  ac- 
counted for  by  two  facts:  (1)  Native  ministers,  who  take  the 
place  of  the  foreign  so  soon  as  churches  become  well  estab- 
lished, are  much  less  costly.  (2)  The  increase  in  members 
increases  the  contributions;  for  it  is  a  fact  worth}7  of  note  that 
heathen  converts  show  their  estimate  of  the  new  religion  by 
liberal  contributions  to  its  support.    For  instance,  the  child- 


Help  or  Hinder.  13 

ren  in  our  Brazilian  Sunday-school  give  an  average  of  $1.50 
per  annum  for  missions.  The  average  Church-member  in  this 
rich  and  Christian  country  gives  about  twenty  cents.  The 
Fiji  Islands,  which  at  the  beginning  of  this  century  were  full 
of  the  habitations  of  cruelty,  where  the  inhabitants  fed  on 
human  flesh,  now  contain  over  thirty  thousand  Church-mem- 
bers— decent,  orderly  Christian  people,  who  pay  annually  for 
religious  purposes  #15,000.  They  have  also  over  forty  thou- 
sand children  in  Sunday-schools,  being  trained  in  Christian 
doctrine  and  work.  The  Sandwich  Islands,  which  but  a  few 
years  ago  contained  a  population  of  apparently  hopeless  can- 
nibals, now  give  $24,000  annually  for  the  support  of  missions 
in  the  neighboring  islands.  One  church  sustains  five  foreign 
missionaries,  and  some  of  the  congregations  give  as  much  as 
$4  per  member  for  religious  uses.  In  other  words,  those  re- 
formed cannibals  give  more  on  an  average  than  we  do. 

The  writer  had  the  pleasure  not  many  months  ago  of 
hearing  a  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  who  was  one 
of  the  first  missionaries  to  Africa,  relate  his  experience  in  that 
benighted  land.  He  went  out  about  fifty  years  ago.  The 
Dark  Continent  was  then  in  the  very  blackness  of  darkness. 
Now  there  are  on  the  west  coast  alone  one  hundred  organized 
congregations;  and  three  hundred  islands  of  Southern  and 
Eastern  Polynesia  have  utterly  abandoned  idolatry.  Thirty- 
five  years  ago,  Madagascar  was  rankly  heathen,  persecuting 
unto  death  the  few  followers  of  Jesus  there.  Now  there  are 
more  than  two  hundred  thousand  professed  Christians  in  the 
island;  among  them  the  queen,  who  a  few  years  since  an- 
nounced to  her  nation  and  to  the  world  that  the  government 
was  to  be  Christian  henceforth.  This  island  has  a  population 
of  about  five  millions;  and  it  will  within  less  than  twenty-five 
years  from  to-day  be  recorded  among  the  truly  Christian 
nationalities  of  the  earth.  This  transformation  has  been 
wrought  within  less  than  three  decades,  without  the  sword  on 
the  Christian  side,  and  in  spite  of  the  sword  on  the  heathen 
side.  "  Great  and  marvelous  are  thy  works,  Lord  God 
Almighty!" 

The  good  work  of  evangelization  is  going  on  in  Africa, 
Polynesia,  Madagascar,  Europe,  South  America,  Mexico, India, 
Burmah,  China,  Japan,  Palestine,  and  in  many  islands  of  the 
deep.    Note  carefully  the  following  facts  :    (1)  The  per  cent. 


Help  or  Hinder. 


of  increase  in  members  is  greater  in  heathen  than  in  Christian 
countries.  This  another  proof  that  the  gospel  of  Christ  is  the 
gospel  for  them  as  well  as  for  us.  It  proves  also  that  if  you 
send  it  to  them  they  will  accept  it.  The  responsibility  for  the 
absence  of  it  from  these  dark  places  is  with  you.  (2)  They 
give  more  readily  and  liberally  to  the  support  of  the  gospel, 
according  to  their  ability.  The}-  are  not,  in  point  of  time,  so 
far  removed  from  the  accursed  experiences  of  heathenism  as 
to  be  unmindful  of  the  wants  and  woes  of  their  neighbors. 
(3)  God  has  by  his  providence  so  opened  up  the  world  that 
gospel  may  be  preached  everywhere,  and  you  may  send  your 
aid  with  cheapness  and  security.  Missionary  work  makes 
commerce,  and  commerce  regulates  passage  and  exchange, 
making  both  cheap  and  secure.  (4)  No  business  of  such  vast 
proportions  and  importance  is  operated  on  a  cheaper  scale 
than  is  the  missionary  work  in  its  collections  and  disburse- 
ments. The  old  slander  that  seventy-five  cents  of  every  dol- 
lar given  were  expended  in  transmitting  the  remaining  twen- 
ty-five to  the  heathen  has  not  in  it  the  value  of  even  a  mutila- 
ted coin.  It  was  spurious  from  the  mint.  Let  it  cease  to  have 
any  currency  in  even  the  stingiest  of  Methodist  circles.  It  is 
true,  on  the  other  hand,  that  of  every  dollar  given  about  three 
cents  are  required  to  transmit  the  remaining  ninety-seven. 

The  Place  of  Hissions  in  the  Common  Preaching 
of  the  Gospel. 

The  adaptation  of  the  gospel  to  the  spiritual  and  temporal 
wants  of  all  men  is  one  of  its  sublimest  and  most  attractive 
features.  If  it  is  not  for  all  men,  it  is  not  from  God.  How 
can  a  minister  fail  to  see  this  and  to  urge  it  upon  his  hearers? 

Yet  some  preach  the  gospel  as  if  it  were  made  for  certain 
circuits  and  stations  exclusively.  The  assumption  that  the 
doctrine  of  missions  will  be  unacceptable  to  men  is  a  mistake. 
If  Christ  be  held  up  as  the  Saviour  of  all  men,  he  will  in  this 
relation  to  the  race  draw  forth  the  interest  and  love  of  all  men. 
The  human  heart  is  such  that  it  must  bow  to  the  commanding 
majesty  of  the  doctrine  that  "  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he 
gave  his  only  begotten  Son  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him 
might  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  And  this  is  the 
massive  foundation  on  which  the  doctrine  of  missions  rests. 


Help  or  Hinder.  15 

No  preacher  need  ever  mistrust  the  winning  force  of  the  doc- 
trine. God  is  responsible  for  the  pledge  that  it  shall  capture 
the  race.  Preach  the  gospel  of  missions,  therefore,  as  the 
gospel  of  Christ,  and  put  the  hearer  on  his  own  responsibility 
in  relation  to  it,  as  you  do  in  his  relation  to  the  doctrine  of 
repentance  toward  God  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus.  Preach 
the  doctrine  and  duty  clearly,  strongly,  boldy,  authoritatively. 
Take  that  thrilling  and  divine  phrase,  "  God  so  loved  the 
world,"  and  send  it  hot  with  fervid  earnestness  and  holy  unc- 
tion into  the  ears  and  hearts  of  men  until  they  cannot  hear  it, 
or  read  it,  or  think  it  without  quickening  heart-throbs  and  a 
deepening  zeal  for  the  reclamation  of  Christ's  heritage.  Let 
every  preacher  note  this  :  that  in  proportion  as  a  genuine  and 
permanent  zeal  for  missions  is  increased  there  is  an  increase 
of  faithfulness  in  the  support  of  all  the  essential  and  useful 
institutions  of  Christianity.  The  writer  has  never  known  a 
man  forward  in  the  advocacy  and  support  of  missions  who 
was  laggard  in  the  support  of  any  interest  of  the  Church. 


Missions  in  the  Family. 

The  strength  of  the  Church  is  in  the  family.  The  hope 
of  missions  is  there.  There  are  two  things  which  the  children 
of  every  household  should  be  taught  to  do  in  behalf  of  mis- 
sions. One  is  to  pray  for  them;  the  other,  to  contribute  to 
them.  Pray  and  pay.  Children  should  be  taught  to  pray  for  the 
heathen  for  two  reasons  :  (1)  If  they  are  properly  taught  by 
sensible  and  pious  parents,  they  will  pray  with  the  spirit  and 
the  understanding,  and  their  prayers,  like  those  of  all  the 
saints,  will  go  up  as  incense  to  God.  They  will  be  heard  and 
answered  in  blessings  upon  the  heathen  and  the  children. 
(2)  Although  the  children  may  not  always  fully  understand 
the  form  they  use,  the  habit  of  praying  for  the  heathen  will 
be  established  under  the  most  favorable  conditions  for  being 
remembered  and  intelligently  used  in  the  years  to  come.  In 
the  second  place,  teach  the  children  to  give.  Let  them  know 
the  duty  as  contained  in  the  Bible.  They  will  respond  to  it. 
Then  invent  ways  by  which  thay  may  earn  from  their  parents 
or  others,  through  their  own  labor,  little  sums  to  be  given 
weekly  or  monthly  to  the  cause  of  missions.    This  order 


Help  or  Hinder. 


closely  followed  will  add  new  interest  to  the  household,  and 
will  introduce  a  new  element  of  happiness  into  the  life  of  the 
children:  It  will  also  after  a  while  wipe  from  our  household- 
life  this  reproach:  that  while  thousands  of  Chinese  families 
give  each  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  year  for  ancestor- 
worship,  the  families  of  Methodism  do  not  give  on  an 
average  so  much  as  out  hundred  cents  a  year  to  save  the 
heathen  from  the  perdition  of  this  life  and  from  that  of  the 
world  to  come. 

Missions  in  the  Sunday  =schooI. 

Every  Sunday-school  ought  to  be  a  missionary  society. 
There  is  no  reason  to  the  contrary.  If  not  all  the  members 
are  able  to  give,  most  of  them  are.  Every  superintendent 
should  teach  the  whole  school  in  this  matter  by  reading  and 
explaining  missionary  scriptures— the  New  Testament  is  full 
of  them.  He  should  also  set  apart  missionary  days,  and  get 
up  an  interesting  programme  of  missionary  songs  and  read- 
ings, having  the  children  to  take  a  part.  Each  school  ought 
to  set  apart  at  least  one  Sabbath  in  the  month  as  missionary 
day,  and  make  special  contributions  on  that  day.  The  super- 
intendent will  do  well  to  call  special  attention  to  this  day  a 
week  beforehand,  and  urge  attendance  and  contributions. 
Superintendents  will  find  new  life  infused  into  their  schools 
by  this  means.  Every  teacher  should  regard  his  class  as  a 
missionary  society,  and  use  his  peculiar  personal  influence  to 
establish  in  each  of  his  pupils  the  habit  of  praying  for  mis- 
sions and  of  contributing  to  them.  One  school  in  the  Confer- 
ence has  given  #164  for  this  cause,  after  paying  for  all  the 
literature  it  needed.  This  was  an  average  of  at  least  $1.25 
per  member.  One  class  in  that  school  gave  $75  of  this 
amount,  which  was  about  $4  per  member.  This  was  done 
without  special  gatherings.  It  was  done  by  small  but  regular 
contributions.  Let  every  superintendent  and  teacher  see  to  it 
that  his  school  shall  send  up  a  special  offering  to  the  cause  of 
missions  this  year. 

Raising  Honey. 

The  following  suggestions  will  be  found  of  service  in  pro- 
curing funds:  (1)  Be^in  in  time.  The  securing  of  funds  to 
conduct  the  enterprises  of  the  Church  is  as  much  the  duty  of 
preachers  and  members  as  the  preaching  and  reception  of  the 


Hrvp  or  Hinder, 

gospel,  and  ought  to  l>e  begun  at  tlie  same  time.  The  preacher 
who  postpones  this  work  till  the  year  is  well  advanced  will 
not,  can  not  be  successful.  He  may  by  extra  diligence  be 
comparatively  successful,  but  not  absolutely  so.  Some 
congregations  need  to  have  a  conscience  created  on  this  sub- 
ject. Begin  at  once  to  develop  a  sense  of  obligation.  Some 
men  may  be  offended,  and  possibly  go  off.  Let  them  go — 
their  stinginess  go  with  them;  the  blessings  of  God  will  not. 
(2)  Take  the  collections  separately.  The  Church  has  been 
fully  persuaded  that  this  is  best,  and  has  made  it  obligatory 
on  pastors.  (See  Discipline,  page  186,  Art.  XVI.)  We  are 
not  to  amend  the  Discipline,  but  to  keep  it.  He  who  takes 
the  collections  together  owes  about  twenty-five  per  cent,  of 
the  whole  to  the  cause  of  missions,  for  he  has  deprived  it  of 
that  much  by  the  use  of  his  method  instead  of  the  Church's 
method.  He  ought  to  keep  the  law  or  pay  the  deficit.  This 
is  simple  New  Testament  honesty.  (3)  Do  not  apologize  for 
taking  collections.  The  giving  spirit  of  a  congregation  is 
always  weakened  by  a  manifest  weakness  in  him  who  asks 
them  to  give.  Apolog}'  always  indicates  either  a  misgiving 
on  the  part  of  the  collector  as  to  the  righteousness  of  his 
claim  or  a  mistrust  of  the  congregation.  Either  of  these  exhi- 
bitions is  always  detrimental  to  the  cause  in  hand.  Take 
your  collections  in  the  name  of  Christ  and  for  Christ.  The 
men  are  his,  the  goods  are  his.  He  has  given  the  goods  in 
trust  to  the  men  to  be  used  by  them  for  his  glory.  If  properly 
taught  and  properly  approached,  men  will  respond  by  giving 
to  Christ  that  which  is  his  due.  A  scene  of  this  kind  occur- 
red once  in  connection  with  this  cause :  It  was  the  last 
appointment  for  the  year;  a  large  congregation  was  present, 
and  in  sympathy  with  the  occasion,  the  sermon  was  finished. 
The  pastor  said;  "  It  becomes  my  duty  now  " — he  was  mis- 
taken; it  had  become  his  duty  nearly  twelve  months  before 
this — "  take  the  collections.  You  know  that  I  have  not  asked 
you  for  a  cent  for  any  cause  this  year.  I  will  take  all  the 
collections  together.  They  are  as  follows:  (1)  A  deficit  in 
the  pastor's  salary;  (-2)  lor  Bishops;  (3)  for  Conference  claim- 
ants; (4;  for  home  missions;  and  (5)  for  foreign  missions. 
The  whole  amount  collected  to-day  will  be  apportioned  to 
these  causes  pro  rata. "  Then  followed  a  long  pumping  pro- 
cess, in  which  every  stroke  of  the  pump  showed  how  hollow 


1 8 


Help  or  Hinder. 


the  element  was.  The  congregation  dispersed.  The  interests 
represented  there  that  day  went  off  at  a  heavy  discount,  both 
in  the  actual  figures  and  in  the  estimate  of  those  who  wit- 
nessed this  scene.  The  giving  spirit  must  be  very  robust  to 
survive  an  ordeal  such  as  that.  (4)  Collect  from  everybody — 
from  all  the  members  of  the  church  and  all  the  friends  of  it 
who  regularly  accept  its  ministry.  Not  half  the  members  will 
be  reached  on  collection  days.  See  them  at  home,  and  talk 
to  each  one,  if  need  be,  privately  and  closely.  If  there  be 
any  brethren  after  the  type  of  some  in  the  days  of  Post  Oak 
Circuit — men  who  shut  their  eyes  and  sing  when  the  hat  goes 
round — note  such,  and  do  "  thy  diligence  "  to  bring  them  in 
afterward.  Gifts  from  such  men  are  precious  trophies  which 
the  Church  cannot  afford  to  lose — as  a  means  of  grace  to  the 
givers.  Take  your  collections  by  subscription,  allowing  to 
any  who  may  wish  it  the  privilege  of  paying  down;  and  see 
that  all  the  others  use  the  privilege  of  paying  up  before 
Conference. 

Our  nissions. 

The  M.  E.  Church,  South,  has  its  missionary  work  divi- 
ded into  two  branches:  (1)  Home  missions;  (2)  foreign  mis- 
sions. The  home  missions  are  within  the  boundaries  of  the 
Annual  Conferences  to  which  they  respectively  belong,  and 
are  provided  for  by  the  Conference  Boards  of  Missions.  The 
W.  N.  C.  Conference  has  now  within  its  boundaries  some 
thirty-five  of  these.  They  consist  of  poor  or  undeveloped 
sections  of  country,  the  inhabitants  of  which  are  either  unable 
to  support  a  minister  in  full  or  have  not  yet  been  educated  up 
to  the  point  of  doing  so.  Help  is  furnished  them  in  order 
that  by  being  furnished  with  a  faithful  and  efficient  ministry 
they  may  be  developed  into  self-sustaining  charges.  Many 
of  these  missions  are  developing  rapidly,  and  promise  soon 
to  relieve  the  Board  of  any  further  responsibility  for  their 
support.  Fourteen  such  works  were  raised  to  self-supporting 
charges  at  the  last  Conference.  The  Board  has  enlarged  this 
work  this  year,  and  we  MUST  raise  more  money  than  was 
raised  last  year.  The  Board  has  faith  in  the  Church  that  it 
will  not  allow  the  collections  to  come  short.  For  the  honor- 
ing of  this  faith,  for  the  purpose  of  helping  the  destitute  of 
our  own  communion,  and  for  the  glory  of  Christ,  let  every 
Methodist  within  our  bounds  make  a  liberal  contribution  to 


HEivP  or  Hinder.  19 

this  cause  as  early  in  in  the  year  as  possible.  Do  not  wait 
for  the  regular  collection,  but  hand  the  amount  to  your  pastor 
and  ask  him  to  forward  it  to  the  treasurer.  The  men  who 
occupy  these  fields  are  already  in  need  of  money  for  the  com- 
mon comforts  of  life.  Our  foreign  missions  are  in  China, 
Mexico,  Brazil  and  Japan.  These  are  under  the  care  of  the 
Parent  or  General  Board  at  Nashville. 

The  China  mission  was  undertaken  in  1848.  In  that  year 
Rev.  Charles  Taylor  went  from  the  .South  Carolina  Confer- 
ence, and  was  joined  by  Rev.  B.  Jenkins,  another  member  of 
the  same  Conference,  in  the  following  year.  In  1852,  Rev.  W. 
G.  E.  Cunnyngham  went  to  that  field  from  the  Holston  Con- 
ference; in  1853,  Rev.  I).  C.  Kelley,  Rev.  J.  L.  Belton  and 
Rev.  J.  W.  Lambuth;  in  1854,  Rev.  Y.  J.  Allen  and  Rev.  L,. 
M.  Wood,  in  1877,  Rev.  A.  P.  Parker  and  Rev.  W.  R  Lam- 
buth, M.  D.;  in  1879,  Rev.  C.  F.  Reid;  in  1880,  Rev.  W.  W. 
Roy  all,  Rev.  K.  H.  McLean  and  Rev.  G.  R.  Loehr.  Since 
1880  other  workers  have  been  sent  out  as  the  state  of  the 
treasury  would  allow,  and  the  work  has  been  in  every  way 
most  hopefully  enlarged.  The  establishment  of  the  Anglo- 
Chinese  University,  now  commanding  the  patronage  of  many 
of  the  best  native  families  in  Shanghai,  and  of  a  sys- 
tem of  day-schools  is  doing  much  to  place  Christianity  in  a 
winning  relation  to  Chinese  people  of  standing.  The  work  of 
the  Woman's  Board  has  been  blessed  with  extraordinary  signs 
of  divine  approval  in  all  the  departments  of  its  work  in  China. 
Not  only  in  that  field,  but  elsewhere  we  have  no  more  hope- 
ful work  than  that  carried  on  by  the  consecrated  women  of 
our  communion. 

The  very  latest  statistics  from  the  China  mission  are:  Num- 
ber of  charges  14;  missionaries,  14;  native  workers,  32;  mem- 
bers, 530;  probationers,  503;  Sunday-schools,  29;  teachers,  93; 
pupils,  1 153;  colleges,  2;  pupils,  247;  day-schools,  33;  pupils, 
539;  hospitals,  1;  dispensaries,  1. 

The  Central  Mexico  mission  was  established  in  1873  un- 
der the  ministry  of  a  native  Mexican,  Alejo  Hernandez,  who 
was  soon  after  reinforced  by  the  appointment  of  Rev.  J.  T. 
Daves  as  superintendent  of  the  mission.  There  are  now  in 
the  Republic  of  Mexico  three  annual  conferences.  Protest- 
antism has  given  62  martyrs  to  the  cause  of  the  gospel  within 
the  republic  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century.    But  this  blood 


20 


Help  ok  Hinder. 


was  riot  shed  in  vain.  The  Church  has  made  wonderful  pro- 
gress and  now  great  liberty  is  granted  in  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel.  The  members  in  the  Mexico  mission  conferences  are 
as  follows:  Charges,  76;  missionaries,  \~\  native  traveling 
preachers,  77;  native  workers,  22;  members,  5,724;  Sunday- 
schools,  120;  teachers,  225;  pupils,  3,321;  colleges.  1;  pupils„ 
34;  day-schools,  2;  pupils,  75. 

The  Brazil  mission  was  planted  in  1875  under  the  guid- 
ance of  Rev.  J.  A.  Newman.  In  the  following  year  Rev.  J.  J. 
Ransom  was  appointed  superintendent.  These  first  laborers 
were  soon  reinforced  by  other  devoted  and  successful  servants 
of  the  Church.  Prominent  among  these  were  Rev.  J.  L.  Ken- 
nedy of  the  Holston  Conference,  and  Rev.  J.  W.  Koger  of 
South  Carolina.  The  following  are  the  latest  statistics  from 
the  Brazil  mission:  Number  of  charges,  20;  missionaries  22; 
native  traveling  preachers,  15;  native  workers,  9;  members, 
1,254;  Sunday-schools,  31;  teachers,  74;  pupils,  930;  colleges, 
6;  pupils,  396;  day-schools,  5;  pupils,  278. 

The  youngest  of  our  great  missions  is  the  one  in  Japan, 
It  was  opened  in  1886  under  authority  of  a  resolution  intro- 
duced by  Bishop  Jno.  C.  Keener  at  the  May  meeting  of  1885. 
The  missionaries  appointed  to  open  the  work  were  Rev.  J.  W. 
Lambuth,  Rev.  E.  O.  Dukes  and  Rev.  Walter  R.  Lambuth, 
M.  D.  These  brethren  were  at  that  time  members  of  the 
China  mission.  The  Japan  mission  conference  was  organized 
1892.  From  the  minutes  of  the  fourth  session  held  by  Bishop 
E.  R.  Hendicks,  in  Kobe,  Japan,  August  29-September  3,  1895, 
we  have  the  following  statistics:  Number  of  charges,  14;  mis- 
sions, 35;  native  traveling  preachers,  6;  native  workers,  82; 
members,  552;  probationers,  89;  Sunday-schools,  58;  teachers, 
71;  pupils,  1,455;  colleges  1:  pupils,  70;  day-schools,  n; 
pupils,  258. 

Total  statistics  in  the  four  foreign  fields:  Number  of 
charges,  124;  preachers  and  helpers,  259;  members  and  pro- 
bationers, 8,672;  Sunday-schools,  238;  teachers,  463;  pupils, 
6,859;  colleges  and  day-schools,  61;  pupils,  1,897;  1  hospital 
and  1  dispensary. 

The  Parent  Board  has  other  missions  under  its  supervi- 
sion within  the  boundaries  of  our  own  nation.  These  are  all 
of  great  importance  and  interest,  but  there  is  not  space  to 
speak  of  them  here, 

Hissionary  Intelligence. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  much  of  the  indifference  which 
is  manifested  toward  the  missionary  work  is  due  to  ignorance. 
Men  cannot  be  intelligent  concerning  this  cause  and  at  the 
same  time  indifferent  toward  it.  One  of  the  first  duties  of 
every  intelli  <ent  Christian  is  to  use  and  circulate  missionary 
literature.  Parents  who  hold  the  great  Arminian  doctrine  of 
full  salvation  for  all  men  in  Christ  and  who  do  not  furnish  to 
their  children  missionary  periodicals  and  books  are  preparing 
the  rising  generation  for  infidelity  concerning  that  precious 


Hku>  or  Hindkr. 


21 


truth,  or  for  a  practical  contradiction  of  it  through  indiffer- 
ence. Did  you  know,  dear  reader,  that  this  century  has  pro- 
duced enough  missionary  literature  to  constitute  of  itself  a 
magnificent  library,  and  that  any  one  having  this  library 
would,  in  any  circle,  be  regarded  as  a  man  of  broad,  rich 
learning?  And  yet  there  is  reason  for  capital  doubt  whether 
one-third  of  the  members  of  the  church  in  our  Conference 
ever  so  much  as  saw  a  missionary  pamphlet  or  periodical. 
Parents  should  take  for  themselves  and  their  sons  the  Metho- 
dist Review  of  Missions  and  for  themselves  and  their  daugh- 
ters the  Woman's  Advocate  of  Missions.  The  first  of  these 
excellent  monthlies  costs  only  one  dollar  per  year  and  the 
second  but  fifty  cents.  The  World  for  Christ,  costs  only  ten 
cents  per  year  and  ought  to  be  taken  by  every  one  of  the  mil- 
lion and  a  half  of  Southern  Methodists.  On  the  line  of  Home 
missions  and  Parsonage  Aid  work,  Our  Homes,  by  Miss 
Lucinda  B.  Helm  will  be  found  of  the  greatest  assistance  to 
the  workers  in  that  important  and  rapidly  growing  field  of 
church  work.  All  these  periodicals  are  published  by  our  own 
house  at  Nashville  and  are  the  best  for  us.  There  can  be 
obtained  at  our  publishing  house  a  number  of  pamphlets  and 
cheap  books  on  missions  which  are  full  of  pith,  point  and 
power,  and  which  are  easily  in  reach  of  persons  without 
means.  Every  pastor  and  Sunday-school  superintendent 
should  have  constantly  on  hand  the  catalogue  of  Missionary 
Literature,  prepared  by  our  Secretaries,  by  the  aid  of  which 
they  shall  be  prepared  to  intelligently  direct  the  growing 
demand  for  missionary  information.  Pastors  cannot  do  a 
better  work  for  themselves  and  the  cause  which  they  repre- 
sent than  to  busy  themselves  in  the  circulation  of  such  liter- 
ature among  their  people.  The  general  diffusion  of  missionary 
intelligence  will  wake  the  church  into  new  life  on  many  lines 
and  gifts  of  hundreds  will  be  multiplied  into  gifts  of  thousands. 

A  Persona!  Word. 

Now,  my  dear  reader,  the  final  question  is  not  whether 
Christ  shall  conquer  the  world.  This  he  will  do.  The  edict 
has  gone  forth.  God  has  said  it.  The  conquering  chariot  is 
impelled  by  almighty  love,  and  no  power  can  stop  it  until  its 
victorious  wheels  have  crushed  every  opposing  system.  He 
who  stands  in  the  way  by  indifference  or  opposition  may  gain 
for  himself  the  infamous  distinction  of  being  crushed,  but 
nothing  more — he  cannot  stop  or  stay  the  progress  of  the  vic- 
torious Christ  as  he  moves  to  the  conquest  of  the  race.  The 
Gospel  Angel  of  the  Apoclypse  flies  on.  Indifferent  believers 
gaze  and  wonder  at  his  progress,  and  under  the  shadow  of  his 
plenipotent  wings  infidels  scream  themselves  hoarse  with  the 
hope  of  causing  delay;  but  regardless  of  both  alike,  he  flies 
on,  bearing  the  good  tidings  of  great  joy  to  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth,  to  all  the  islands  of  the  deep.  Fly  on  thou  glori- 
ous Gospel,  Evangel,  every  beat  of  thy  massive  wings  instinct 
with  divine  power,  until  thou  shalt  bring  thy  burden  of  re- 
deemed humanity  into  the  New  Jerusalem — Capital  City  of  God ! 


22 


Hew  or  Hindkr. 


Seven  Test  Questions. 

Every  one  who  has  read  this  paper  carefully  through  is 
earnestly  urged  to  take  his  pencil  and  conscientiously  write 
in  the  places  provided  for  them  the  ansAvers  to  the  following 
questions : 

1.  Do  3tou  love  the  cause  of  missions,  as  the  cause  of 
Christ  ? 

Answer  

2.  Do  you  pray  regularly  for  the  success  of  this  work  ? 

Answer   . . .  .  

3.  How  much  did  you  give  last  )  ear  as  an  expression  of 
your  love  ? 

Answer  $  

4.  Was  that  according  as  God  had  prospered  you,  and 
was  it  given  with  a  willing  mind  ? 

Answer   ...  

5.  How  much  do  you  think  you  ought  to  give  for  mis- 
sions this  year  ? 

Answer  $  

6.  How  much  will  you  give  this  year,  by  the  help  of  God  ? 

Answer  $  

7.  Are  you,  in  short,  so  discharging  your  duty  to  this 
great  cause  that  you  will  be  guiltless  when  God  judges  the 
world  in  righteousness  by  Jesus  Christ  ? 

Answer  (.  

The  sum  of  all  these  questions  is  :  Will  you  help,  or 
hinder  ?  In  view  of  the  awful  issues  of  a  coming  judgment,  I 
would  rather  be  a  heathen  than  a  dead-head  on  the  Ship  of 
Zion. 


